The benevolent banner., 1887-07-09

How He Conveyed Important News from
the Capital to Richmond.

How He Conveyed Important News from
the Capital to Richmond.
had become so emboldened by fire.
quent and successful scouts into Wash
ington City; my nerves had become so
trained by frequent contact with federal
officers. and soldiers; my manner made
imperturable by sudden shocks and un-
expected surprises; my soldier life so
habituated to this environment-that l
had well-nigh concluded was ready to
shake hands with Stanton or dine with
Gen. Grant, says Thomas n. Conrad,
an ex-Confederate spy, in the Philadel-
phia Times. Meeting a friend who
was a clerk in the War Department, |
was informed that an important paper
would be in his Office in few days-a
tabulated statement which would be an
interesting document to the Confeder-
ate War Department. He would make
a copy of it and leave it upon his desh
at "lunch hour" if I could devise any
way to secure it. I told him would
walk into his Office myself and get it Ii
he would guarantee it to be on his desk
at a specified hour. This was done,
and as the crowd of clerks was passint
in and out during lunch hour" /
walked into the War Department OF
Washington to the room of my friend,
winked at him as [ passed him in the
throng, got the paper, and walked out
as composedly as Stanton's private Sec
retary could have done, and before
lunch hour" of next day that tabulated
statement was in the War Department
| of Richmond.
Finding that would be constantly
detailed upon these trips, called upon
the Confederate Secretary of War and
advised establishing a reliable line of
communication between Richmond and
Washington. He indorsed the propo-
sition, and requested me to establish it
at once. A signal station, under the
charge of lieutenant, had been In sue
cessful operation upon the Potomac for
some time, and had proved very useful.
But the War Department needed di-
rect line of it's own, subject to it's order,
and reliable at all times. To establish
this I rode from the front door of the
War Department of Richmond to the
Potomac River, crossed the river and
rode to the front door of the War De-
partment of Washington, and estab-
lished the line throughout. Having Sc
lected high cliff near Boyd's Hole on
the Potomac as the site for my shanty
and men, I wrote to the Secretary of
War for an outfit.
Upon receiving boat and equipment
I selected two Irishmen who were ex-
pert oarsmen, and courier, and had
them detailed for the post. The negro
man, who had been with my regiment
since 1861, and had been the body
servant of the Lieutenant Colonel, and
after his death served me, made the
five who composed the detail. So with
four men, three horses, a good boat, a
fine field-glass, a pocket-compass, and
quarters" upon high cliff of the Po-
tomac, [ was ready for operations.
crossed the river and selected three
practicing physicians, who could ride
at any hour of the night without being
suspected or arrested by federal troops,
being known as neighborhood doctors,
and who were heart and soul in SYM
pathy with US. Whenever I was in
Washington and wished to send a dis
patch to Richmond [ called upon the
physician living near the navy-yard and
gave him the dispatch. He would ride
over the navy-yard bridge, which was
always under guard, in his doctors
buggy and give the dispatch to physi-
clan No. q He would mount his horse
and ride to the house of physician No
3 and deliver it, and he would ride to a
certain point on the river and place the
dispatch under ledge of rocks. That
night the boat would come over from
my camp, get the dispatch, take it to
camp, give it to the courier, who would
at once ride to the telegraph Office and
have it telegraphed to Richmond. Thus
in less than twelve hours / could send
dispatch from Washington City to
Richmond. This line existed until Lee
surrendered at Appomattox, and rem
dered invaluable service to the Confed-
eracy.